American Folk Art Museum Launches New Program Series
September 8, 2023
(New York, New York) The American Folk Art Museum (AFAM) is launching a free, virtual programmatic series titled Both/And, which will take an inclusive and innovative approach to understanding the breadth and complexities of the Museum collection. Beginning on September 21, 2023, this ongoing series is conceived and co-hosted by Mathilde Walker-Billaud, Curator of Programs and Engagement, and Brooke Wyatt, Luce Assistant Curator.
Inspired by artist and writer Lorraine O’Grady who uses the concept of Both/And to think in a non-hierarchical way, this series will examine the Museum’s collection beyond binary ideas of untrained vs. skilled artists, craft vs. art, and amateur vs. fine art, in order to provide a more inclusive narrative of art. Conceived as a series of investigations, Both/And will engage critically with classed, raced, gendered, and ableist formations that have often circumscribed the reading of objects and their makers within a museum context.
Exploring works made by folk and self-taught artists including Judith Scott, Martha Ann Honeywell, James Castle, Emery Blagdon, and Martín Ramírez, this series is centered around Wyatt’s continued work to produce collection-based exhibitions that promote an expanded view of American art.
“A significant portion of AFAM’s collection was created by BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, women-identified, and neurodiverse artists, as well as individuals whose lived experiences encompassed multiple forms of social disenfranchisement,” said Wyatt. “Through Both/And, we aim to address issues of exclusion and hierarchy.”
“We’re thrilled to inaugurate a new program series that takes the Museum’s collection as a starting point for critical discourse and dialogue” added Walker-Billaud. “Due to its history and specificity, the collection calls for multiple interpretations, sometimes conflicting. This series will encourage us to approach the objects with a form of humility and openness, taking power in the gaps of knowledge.”
Wyatt will lead each program alongside a guest speaker engaged in art practices and scholarship. Each program will take place over Zoom with ASL interpretation and live captioning in English. See below for an ongoing list of programs. ( … )